Daniel Radcliffe’s dedication to playing his role as realistic as possible in 2017’s Jungle went to extremes and caused him to lose an unhealthy amount of weight. The Harry Potter actor went from a wizard to an Israeli adventurer who wandered the Amazon rainforest alone for three weeks.
This is nothing new in the entertainment industry; lots of celebrities undergo physical transformation to perfectly embody the character they have to portray. In this case, Radcliffe had to starve himself to appear as someone who has been lost in the wilderness.
Daniel Radcliffe Suffered Hunger And Hallucinations On The Set Of Jungle
Daniel Radcliffe portrayed real-life personality Yossi Ghinsberg, an adventurer who set out in 1981 in the Bolivian Amazon rainforest with two pals and a guide; the latter, unfortunately, got lost in the wild.
Ghinsberg chronicled this harrowing experience in his book, which was adapted to the screen by Justin Monjo and helmed by Greg McLean. Radcliffe revealed that he knows the dangers and sacrifices he had to undertake for the role (via Market Watch):
“There was no part of me that thought it was going to be an easy shoot, and nor should it be if you’re going to do justice to the material. I went into it fully aware that this was going to be tougher physically than a lot of things have been.”
The actor reportedly lost 14 pounds after the production and was forced to only eat one egg a day to get into the survivor’s mindset, according to The Things. Radcliffe had to recreate the pain and physical emaciation of Ghinsberg in the movie. He also added:
“To get that tiredness that seeps into your bones and makes your legs heavy, it was really useful to just eat a little less.”
Radcliffe admitted that his diet regimen for the film was not a safe way to lose weight. It also turned out that the actor experienced hallucinations during the shoot and claimed that a woman often accompanied him on the set.
Aside from starvation, the actor nearly drowned in one scene while recreating the same experience Ghinsberg had while traversing the river. He recalled how intense and demanding that scene was, and it took them two days to execute it with 16 crew members standing on rocks near the river to create safety lines.
A Spiritual Journey To Remember
The jungle is, indeed, a treasure trove of wild animals, and Radcliffe admitted he came face to face with weird and poisonous creatures. The extreme heat and rain, along with the entire experience of the wild, made the actor appreciate Ghinsberg’s love for nature.
“He describes that once he let that go and just allowed himself to feel like he was just another part of this natural organism that was all around him, he started to not only find success in surviving but actually enjoyed the experience.”
Indeed, this realization enabled the actor to fully immerse himself in the role and embrace what it means to retell a spiritual journey that tested Ghinsberg’s faith in God and his will to live.
Sources: Market Watch, The Things
